Arraignment

Arraignment or First Appearance

If the defendant is appearing in response to a court Summons received in the mail, the First Appearance in court, is traditionally called the Arraignment and also called simply the “First Appearance.”

Is it important to have a lawyer for the Arraignment of First Appearance?

It begins

Yes. The First Appearance in a Minnesota criminal case is like the kick-off that begins a football game. It’s the beginning of the court’s process of protecting the rights of the accused and prosecuting criminal claims. It’s best to retain a good defense lawyer well before this First Appearance court date, to allow for preparation. This is the beginning of winning.

What happens?

At an Arraignment, the accused had the right to be informed of the claim lodged against him or her by the government’s lawyer, the prosecutor. Though literacy rates are much higher than they once were, the defendant has the right to have the Complaint read to him or her in court. Most waive that right and just read it themselves.

Thomas Gallagher, Felony Defense Lawyer in Minneapolis

The First Appearance is normally the point at which the court learns who the defendant’s defense lawyer will be. The defendant may apply for a Public Defender defense attorney based upon indigency. Or the defendant has the right to retain a lawyer of their own choosing. The defense lawyer will normally file a Certificate of Representation with the District Court, either shortly before or at the First Appearance, but only after being formally retained by the defendant.

The Arraignment is also used by prosecutors as a deadline for having all the evidence collected by police so far, in their file. At this point, it can be provided to the defense lawyer as discovery. Sometimes initial discovery is supplemented later by prosecutors as they get more evidence, for example witness statements.